In 1990 mayor Luiza Erundina hired Lina Bo Bardi to refurbish the Palácio das Indústrias, which, located next to Parque Dom Pedro II, was to become the new home for the São Paulo City Hall. The project included on the one hand the renovation of the original building, completed after Lina’s death in 1992, and on the other the construction of a new office complex that was never built. The exterior of the eclectic building, designed in 1924 by the Italo-Brazilian Domiziano Rossi, was maintained and only the interior was altered, removing some of the finishes to expose the real materials, such as iron or brick, and introducing expressive changes like entire rooms painted blue.

Had it been built, the new J-shaped volume would delimit a public square between the Palácio das Indústrias and the end of the plot. This space evokes the classical exedra as space for gathering and public debate. The convex facade would have opened up to the city through a continuous glass enclosure; while the concave front is conceived as a huge vertical garden. Aside from offices, the project was to include restaurants and communal spaces, bringing political issues closer to people and revitalizing the neighborhood.